Automatic flexible coupling for train-pipes



Y Patent'ad Aug. 2, I898. S. B. KITCHIN. AUTOMATIC FLEXIBLE COUPLING FOB TRAIN PIPES.

umibn filed Sept. 1g, 1897.)

2 Sheets- Shoot I.

(I0 Model.)

w: nonms PETERS cu, mam-Ho WASNINGTON, n cy No 608,406. Patented Aug. 2, I898.

S. B. KITCHIN.

AUTOMATIC FLEXIBLE COUPLING FOB TRAIN PIPES.-

(Application filed Sept. 18, 1897.)

(N0 Modal.) 2 Sheets-$heat 2.

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v UNITED ST E PATENT *Qrricn.

SAMUEL B. KITGHIN,.OF SCOTLAND NECK, NORTH CAROLINA,

AUTOMATIC FLEXIBLE COUPLING FOR'TRAIN=PIPES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 608,406, dated August 2, 1898. lipplicationfiledSeptembeflS,1897. SerialNo. 652,087. (NomocleL) To all whom itmay concern;

Be it known that 'I, SAMUEL B. KITcHIN, a

citizen of theUnited States, residing at Scot-.

land Neck, inthe county of Halifax and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Improvement inAutomatic Flexible Couplings for Train-Pipes, such as are em'-' ployed in air-brake, heating, and lighting systerms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvementin automatic flexible couplings for train-pipes, such as are employed in air-brake, heating, and'lighting systems; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices that will be more fully set forth hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a train-pipe coupling which is adapted to be used in connection with air-brake, lighting, or heating systems on railroad-trains, which will automatically couple and uncouple when the cars are run together or pulled apart and simultaneously open or close the valves which establish or cutoff communication between the pipes of the various'cars, which shall be simple andcheap in construction, efficient in operation, and'is capable of yielding to the motion of the train and' the play between the cars, so as to avoid injury thereby.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is partly an inverted plan View and partly a horizontal section of a train-pipe-coupling system embodying my improvements, showing the cars coupled. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same, showing the cars uncoupled. Figs. 3, 4, and

. 5 are detail views.

a represents a pipe, which is secured under one of the cross-beams A of the bottom of a car by means of a swivel-collar b, through which the pipe passes, and which swivel-collar is free to turn on its pivots 0, Figs. at and 5, and thereby permit the pipe to play freely' and accommodate itself to the motion of the train and also render the pipe capable of longitudinal movement. A stop-flange d is provided on the pipe, which stop-flange when the pipe is at the outer limit of its longitudi=- nal motion comes in contact with the swivelcollar. A coiled extensile spring e has one end attached to the inner end of the pipe to,

steam, or fluid through the pipe.

and the other end of said spring is attached inany suitable manner to a suitable support under the car. The function of this spring is to normally retain the pipe CL in a horizontal position lengthwise under the car, and yet allow the pipe to move lengthwise and to play either horizontally or vertically at its ends. A flexible pipe f is connected to the pipe at, near the inner end thereof, by a T- coupling, and the other end of said flexible pipe is connected to the air, gas, or steam pipe B of the air-brake, lighting, or heating system. The pipe at has the enlarged cylindrical portion g near its inner end, and at the outer end of said cylinder is a valve-seat h.

A valve 2' is arranged in the cylinder and is supported on the valve-rod is, which extends throughout nearly the entire length of the-pipe a and issupported in guides or crosses Z, which permit the valve and its rod to play freely in a longitudinal direction and yet to not obstruct the free passage of air, gas, A flange head or collar 'm is screwed to the outer end of the pipe.

n represents the bell-shaped member of the automatic coupling which forms the outer extension of the pipe a and has at its inner end 'a flange head or collar 0, which is secured to the flange head or collar m by bolts 19. The said flange-headmwhich, together with the bolts, serve to couple the bell-shaped member to the pipe 0,, are provided with central openings to admit the free passage of air, gas, steam, or fluid through the pipe and with concentric annular recesses r, in which is seated a packing-ring 5.

When my train-pipe couplings are used in connection with air-brake systems, for which they are primarily designed, the packing-ring s will be made of rubber. The width of the packing-ring is such that when the coupling is effected between the pipe and the bellshaped member there will be a space between the flan ge-heads m o, and as the packing-collar wears the bolts are tightened to preserve its'efficiency.

A couplingipe t is secured under another ICO as shown. A coiled extensile spring a is also arranged on the pipe t and bears between the swivel-collar and the heado 011 the outer end of said pipe, which head is circular in form and of such size as to adapt it to enter the bell-shaped coupling member opposite. An annular groove u is made in the edge of the head. 1*, which serves to receive the edge of a packing-ring 03, which may be made of rubber or other suitable material and which serves to effect a tight joint between the head and the bell-shaped coupling member when the cars are run together. The function of the spring a is to normally maintain the pipe t in an extended position, and it also materially assists the spring 0 in maintaining the pipe in its normal horizontal position. A spring n, which is in all respects similar to the spring it, is arranged on the pipe a and bears between the swivel-collar Z) and the flange-head m and has the same function as the spring 1/, with reference to said pipe (L.

To the outer end of the pipe t is secured a coupling nozzle or extension 7 which is of reduccd diameter and is adapted to enter the bell-shaped member a when the cars run toget-her and to enter the opening formed between the liange-heads m o and the packingring .9 in the recess therein and effect a joint between the pipes which will be thoroughly air, gas, or steam tight.

A piston-packer .2, made of rubberor other suitable material, is placed on the couplingnozzle and is adapted to move in and out thereon and is of such size to be adapted to enter the annular recess at the inner end of the bell-shaped member of the coupling and to effect a tight joint between the same and the coupling-nozzle. A coiled extensile spring 5' is placed on the coupling-nozzle, is secured at its inner end, and has its outer end seen red to the piston-packer to prevent the latter from being pulled off the end of the coupling-nozzle. The length of the spring is such that it is inert when the piston-packer is at the outer end of the coupling-nozzle, thereby retaining the pistonpaeker in that position normally; but when the cars are run together and the couplinguozzle enters the bell-shaped member the said spring serves to force the piston-packer into the inner end of the bell-shaped member and to maintain the same therein at all times and to compensate for the longitudinal play of the cars.

The springs a and a by exerting a constant longitudinal thrust on thepipes a and (serve to maintain said pipes at all times in contact with each other when coupled end to end, and thus prevent independent longitudinal movement of said pipes, hence maintaining said pipes in unison and preventing the efiiciency of the coupling from. being impaired by the motion of the cars.

The pacl ing-ring s, head If, and pistonpacker, in addition to their functions as packings to secure and maintain a ti ht joint between the pipes a and 25, serve also to center the nozzle in the pipe Ct, and thus maintain the pipes (I. and t in a straight line with relation to each other at all times when coupled.

\Vhen the coupling-nozzle enters the outer end of the pipe (4, it comes in contact with the enlarged head of the valve-rod 7.; and moves the said valve inward from its seat, so as to establish communication between the pipes a andt and allow the passage of air, gas, steam, or fluid through the pipes in the ears. The pressure of the air, gas, steam, or lluid will normally, when the cars are disconnected, serve to close the valve in its seat and cut off the escape of the air, gas, steam, or fluid; but I prefer to also employ acoiled extensile spring a, arranged 011 the valverod for this purpose, for the sake of additional security against loss of air, gas, steam, or lluid when the cars are uncoupled.

Ihave illustrated an automatic car-coupler such as is new in common use for coupling cars together for the purpose of explaining the object and operation of my invention graphically; but it will be understood that my train-pipe coupling is not dependent upon any particular form of car-coupling for its operation and is wholly independent thereof and may be employed with effect on cars provided with. any preferred means for coupling the cars together.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2 itwill be seen that I have duplicated the train-pipe couplings on each car, arranging the members in pairs and connecting the pipes a and ten each car by means of a flexible pipe 7). 15y this arrangement the members of the coupling will always match when the cars are run together, as will be readily understood.

In order to adapt a car provided with my improved train-pipe coupling to be used in connection with a car which is not so provided without affecting the efficiency of the air-brake, heating, or lighting system of the train, I attach an ordinary coupling-pipe I), such as has heretofore been commonly em ployed en air-brake systems, to the pipe I; by means of: a T-conpling, as shown, and provide a cock I) in such coupling, which is normally turned to cut off air, gas, steam, 01' lluid from the pipe I). I also employ a cock I! in the pipe l3 at a point between the pipes I) and (I, which cock I is normally open to permit free communication between the pipes .13 and a; but when a car provided with my improved train'pipe coupling is to be coupled to one which is not so provided the cool; 1* must be closed and the cock It. opened, as will be readily understood.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a train-pipe coupling, the eombination of the pipe (4, the swivel-collar?) through which said pipe passes, and having the pivots 0, whereby the pipe (4 is adapted to play longitudinally and to swing freely at its ends, and the spring C Connected to the inner end ITO of the pipe, for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

2. The combination, ina' train-pipe coupling, of the pipe a, the swivel-collar I) through which said pipe passes, the latter having the flange d; and the spring to on said pipe and bearing against said flange d, substantially as described.

3. In a train-pipe coupling, the combination with the pipe or having the bell-shaped member n, the throat-packing r, and the valve 2'; of the pipe t, having the head '0, the

nozzle 11 forming an extension of the pipe,

and adapted to pass through the throat-pack ing and operate the valve 11, the piston-packing 2 on said nozzle, and the spring 2 connected to said piston-packing, substantially as described.

A. In a train-pipe coupling, the combination with the pipe having the bell-shaped member, of the pipe 25 having the head 1;, and the extending nozzle 11 the piston-packing z movable on said nozzle, and the spring z" bearing against said piston-packing, for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

5. In a train-pipecoupling system, the pipes at and t forming the opposing members of the coupling, the flexiblepipe b connecting said pair of pipes, the air, gas, steam or fluid pipe B of the air-brake, heating, or lighting system, the flexible pipe f connecting said pipes a, B, the pipe D connected to lings, the pivot-supports b for said pipes, and

in which the latter are free to play longitudinally and to swing at their ends, and the springs e at the inner ends of said pipes, for

the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

7. In a train-pipe coupling, the combination of the pipe at having the flange-head m, thebell-shaped member having the flangehead 0, said flan ge-heads having the annular opening formed betweenthem, thepackingring in said opening, and the bolts 19, for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

8. In an automatic train-pipe-coupling system, the pipes a and 25 forming the opposing members of the coupling, arranged in pairs, the flexible pipe connecting each pair of said pipes at and t, and the flexible pipe fconnecting the pipe at with the air, gas, steam or fluid pipe B of the air-brake, heating or lighting 7 system, substantially as described.

SAMUEL B. KITOHIN.

Witnesses:

J. WV. GARNER, W. W. KITOHIN. 

